Lesson video

Hello.

My name is Mrs. Jones, and I'm really pleased that you're here today.

In this lesson, we will look at environmental considerations like e-waste and data centres.

So let's get started.

Welcome to today's lesson.

Today's lesson is called Environmental Impact of Computing Devices from the Unit Computer Systems. And by the end of this lesson, you'll be able to describe how e-waste and data centres are impacting the environment.

There are three key words to today's lesson, electronic waste, e-waste.

Electronic waste, e-waste includes discarded electronic devices like phones, laptops, and batteries.

Server.

A server is a computer that stores, manages, and shares files, data, and resources in a network.

Data centre.

Data centre is a facility that houses servers, storage systems, and networking equipment to store, process, and distribute data.

There are three sections to today's lesson.

The first is explain the impact of disposing of devices, then describe how a data centre is used, and then explain the environmental impact of data centres.

So let's start with explain the impact of disposing of devices.

Technology is used by so many people across the world.

To keep up to date, new technology is released and old technology is thrown away.

according to The World Counts, The total electronic waste for 2025 so far is 20,208,043 tonnes thrown out and rising each second.

Electronic waste, e-waste, includes discarded electronic devices like phones, laptops, and batteries.

If it has a plug, takes batteries, or needs charging, and you are getting rid of it, it's highly likely to be e-waste.

This wide range means that e-waste is one of the fastest growing forms of waste in the world.

Let's have a quick check.

Which of the following items would generally not be classified as e-waste? A, an old broken washing machine.

B, a discarded smartphone charger, C, a used plastic drinks bottle, or D, a non-working laptop computer.

Pause the video, go back through the slides, consider your answer, and then we'll check it.

Let's check your answer.

The answer was C, a used plastic drinks bottle.

Well done if you've got that correct.

There are many impacts to disposing of e-waste, and these can be categorised as environmental impacts, health impacts, and social and economic impacts.

Recycling sites can be formal or informal.

Formal recycling sites are under strict environmental and health laws.

Informal recycling sites do not follow any official, regulated, or government sanctioned system, and these are often found in developing countries.

The environmental impact of e-waste includes hazardous chemicals.

If devices end up in landfills, these chemicals can contaminate the soil and groundwater.

in many parts of the world, especially in informal recycling sites, devices are burned to recover valuable materials, valuable metals like copper, resulting in air pollution.

The manufacturing of new electronics is very energy intensive and releases significant greenhouse gases.

Recycling old devices could reuse valuable materials and reduce greenhouse emissions.

Your devices contain precious and rare metals like gold, silver, copper, platinum, and rare earth elements.

By not recycling them, these resources are depleting.

People, including children, working in informal e-waste recycling centres, often in developing countries, handle these devices without any protective gear.

This direct exposure to toxic chemicals can lead to a range of severe health problems. As toxins leak into the environment, they can contaminate local water sources and enter food sources.

This means people can unknowingly ingest these harmful substances through their drinking water or the food they eat.

Even if you delete your data, old devices can still contain personal information.

If not properly wiped or destroyed before disposal, this data can be recovered by others leading to identity theft or other security breaches.

Let's do an activity, and you'll need your worksheet.

Complete the table to describe the impact of e-waste.

you have the impact categories of environmental, health, and social, and economic.

You need to complete the table for the impact details.

Pause the video, go back through the slides, and consider your answer using your worksheet, and then we'll check your answers.

Let's check your answers.

Environmental.

If devices end up in landfills, hazardous chemicals can contaminate the soil and ground water.

Devices that are burned to recover valuable metals like copper can result in air pollution.

Not recycling e-waste means manufacturing of new electronics, which is very energy intensive and releases significant greenhouse gases.

The materials found in e-waste, such as gold, silver, copper, platinum, and rare earth elements, are depleting health.

Handling e-waste without protective gear means direct exposure to toxic chemicals, which can lead to a range of severe health problems. As toxins leak into the environment, they can contaminate local water sources and enter food sources, which people unknowingly consume.

Social and economic.

Even if you delete your data, old devices can still contain personal information.

If not properly wiped or destroyed before disposal, this data can be recovered by others, leading to identity theft or other security breaches.

Well done if you got those correct.

Let's move on to the second part of today's lesson.

Describe how a data centre is used.

The internet is a global connection of devices.

The worldwide web is made up of the sites you access through this connection.

These sites and all the data and information are stored on servers.

A server is a computer that stores, manages, and shares files, data, and resources in a network.

Data centres are filled with thousands of powerful servers, storage systems, and networking equipment.

These servers store all the digital data, and the storage systems alongside the servers hold all this data, ensuring it's available when it is needed.

Routers, switches, and miles of cables connect all these servers and storage systems allowing them to communicate with each other and with the outside world at incredible speeds.

Let's have a quick check.

Which of the following is the primary purpose of a data centre? Is it A, to manufacture new electronic devices like smartphones and laptops, B, to house and manage the computing equipment that powers online services and stores digital data, C, to recycle old electronic waste, e-waste, safely, or D, to serve as a physical location for people to buy and sell technology products? Pause the video, go back through the slides, and consider your answer, and then we'll check it.

Let's check your answer.

The answer was B, to house and manage the computing equipment that powers online services and stores digital data.

Well done if you got that correct.

A data centre houses the digital world through storage and processing.

It is used for powering online services and applications and providing essential infrastructure and support.

Companies, instead of housing their own servers, now rent storage and software from cloud provider companies like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.

These cloud services are all delivered from massive data centres.

Processing large data sets for analytics, Artificial intelligence, AI, and machine learning requires a substantial amount of computing power, which data centres can provide.

This is an area that is having to expand with increase in Ai use.

Data centres play a critical role in ensuring business continuity.

They often house backup copies of vital data and applications.

So if a disaster like a fire or flood hits one location, operations can quickly resume from another data centre.

Let's do an activity.

You'll need your worksheet.

First, let's describe what a data centre is.

Pause the video, go back through the slides, and use your worksheet, and then we'll check your answer.

Let's check your answer.

Data centres are filled with thousands of powerful servers, storage systems, and networking equipment.

They house the digital world through storage and processing.

They're used for powering online services and applications and providing essential infrastructure and support.

Well done if you got that correct.

Let's do another activity, this time describe how a data centre is used for set functions.

And the functions on the table you have is cloud services, data sets, and disaster recovery.

And you need to complete the table and describe how does the data centre support that function.

Pause the video, go back through the slides, use your worksheet, and then we'll check your answers.

Let's check your answer.

Cloud services.

How does the data centre support that function? Well, companies, instead of housing their own servers, now rent storage and software from cloud provider companies like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.

Data sets.

How does the data centre support that function? It's processing large data sets for analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, and requires a substantial amount of computer power, which data centres can provide.

Disaster recovery.

How does the data centre support that function? Well, they often house backup copies of vital data and applications.

So if a disaster like a fire or a flood hits one location, operations can quickly resume from another data centre.

Well done if you've got that correct.

Let's move on to the third part of today's lesson.

Explain the environmental impact of data centres.

If a data centre is housed in a location, it can have an impact on the environment around it.

Data centres operate 24/7 year round using vast amounts of electricity.

This power is not just for the servers themselves, but also for all the supporting systems. The servers generate immense heat, and keeping them cool is crucial to prevent them from breaking down.

This requires massive cooling systems, which can account for up to 40% of a data center's total energy use.

While many tech companies are investing in renewable energy, a significant portion of data centres still draw their power from national electricity grids that rely heavily on burning fossil fuels like coal and natural gas.

This directly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

As we use more online services, stream more videos, and new technologies like AI become more common, the demand for data centres is constantly increasing.

This means their energy consumption and associated emissions are projected to rise significantly if not managed sustainably.

Many data centres use large quantities of water for their cooling systems. This water can be used for evaporative cooling where water evaporates to absorb heat or sometimes for direct liquid cooling of servers.

Let's have a quick check.

Other than high energy consumption, which other natural resource do data centres often use in significant quantities? Is it A, timber for building materials, B, fresh water for cooling systems, C, rare earth minerals extracted on site, or D, sunlight, which they convert into electricity.

Pause the video, go back through the slides, and consider your answer, and then we'll check it.

Let's check your answer.

The answer was B, fresh water for cooling systems. Well done if you got that correct.

Technology evolves incredibly quickly.

Servers and other data centre equipment can become outdated and needed to be replaced much faster than any other types of infrastructure.

If not disposed of properly, they can add to the e-waste concerns around the world.

Jun asks, "How is the use of AI increasing the need for data centres and consequently impacting the environment?" The growth of AI is changing the way we access and use technology.

Training and running advanced AI models requires enormous computational power, meaning AI-driven data centres are far more energy intensive per operation than traditional ones.

This means more data centres and larger infrastructures.

Let's do an activity, and you'll need your worksheet.

Complete the table to describe the environmental concerns of different elements of a data centre.

On the left, we have the concerns, operating 24/7, servers, fossil fuels, consumer demand, water, and e-waste.

Then you need to complete the table to complete the concerns.

Pause the video, go back through the slides, use your worksheet, and then we'll check your answers.

Let's check your answers.

Operating 24/7.

The concern is they use vast amounts of electricity, and this power is not just for the servers themselves, but also for all the supporting systems. Servers.

The concern is they generate immense heat, and keeping them cool is crucial to preventing them from breaking down.

This requires massive cooling systems, which can account for up to 40% of the data center's total energy use.

Fossil fuels.

The concerns are a significant proportion of data centres will draw their power from national electricity grids that rely heavily on burning fossil fuels, like coal and natural gas.

Consumer demand.

The concern is as we use more online services, stream more videos, and new technologies like AI become more common, the demand for data centres is constantly increasing.

Water.

The concerns are that many data centres use large quantities of water for their cooling systems. This water can be used for evaporative cooling where water evaporates to absorb heat or sometimes for direct liquid cooling of servers.

E-waste.

The concerns are that servers and other data centre equipment can become outdated and need to be replaced much faster than any other types of infrastructure.

If not disposed of properly, they can add to the e-waste concerns around the world.

Well done if you've got those correct.

Let's do another activity.

Explain the impact the use of artificial intelligence is having on the need for data centres.

Pause the video, go back through the slides, use your worksheet, and then we'll check your answers.

Let's check your answers.

The growth of AI is changing the way we access and use technology.

Training and running advanced AI models requires enormous computational power, meaning AI-driven data centres are far more energy intensive per operation than traditional ones.

This means more data centres and a larger infrastructure.

Well done if you got that correct.

In summary, technology is used by so many people across the world, and we need to consider how we use, access, and discard technology as it has an impact on the environment.

Considering how e-waste is disposed of is important as it directly impacts the environment we live in.

E-waste includes discarded electronic devices like phones, laptops, and batteries.

A data centre facility that houses many servers, storage systems, and networking equipment to store, process, and distribute data can consume vast amounts of electricity and require extensive cooling.

Well done for completing this lesson on environmental impacts of computing devices.